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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24433033">Sweet Dreams</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchitect/pseuds/starchitect'>starchitect</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hope [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Xenoblade Chronicles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cute, F/M, I am so soft for Shulk and Melia and they are soft for each other, I finally caved and wrote one of these, Melia? being flirtatious??, Mutual Pining, No Spoilers, Sharing a Bed, i love them, it's more likely than you think, somehow!! :O, takes place during Future Connected, that's the whole fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:15:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,678</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24433033</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchitect/pseuds/starchitect</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’ll be fine,” he says. “Besides, you’re the royal here. You should take it.”</p><p>Melia scoffs. “Don’t coddle me. I’m not a fragile girl anymore. You’re going to need a better reason than that.”</p><p>“Well… Uh.”</p><p>Shulk is fighting a losing battle here. He’s more than happy to let Melia take the bed, but she’s not going down without a fight, and the alternative is...well.</p><p>The alternative is certainly interesting.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Melia Ancient | Melia Antiqua/Shulk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hope [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sweet Dreams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pachipower/gifts">Pachipower</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>oh no it's an only one bed fic</p><p>happy release to the best game ever made</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em> I think Alcamoth might be on the Bionis Shoulder, </em> he told Melia. <em> We could be there and back in less than half a day. </em></p><p>Oh, how wrong he had been, Shulk thinks remorsefully. Less than half a day. What an understatement.</p><p>It’s times like these that Shulk almost wishes he could still see visions of the future. If he had known their visit to the Shoulder would be longer, he would have thought to properly prepare for it. And as such, he would have packed sleeping bags. Doing so would save him and Melia from their current predicament.</p><p>“Are you sure, Shulk?”</p><p>Radzam had offered their party one room for the night. It’s cozy, but the problem is that there are four of them and only one bed. Kino and Nene happily offered to sleep on the floor in a pile of pillows and blankets, which was one problem solved, but now there’s the question of who will be joining the two Nopon on the floor.</p><p>Shulk wants to argue that it’ll be him.</p><p>“I’ll be fine,” he says. “Besides, you’re the royal here. You should take it.”</p><p>Melia scoffs. “Don’t coddle me. I’m not a fragile girl anymore. You’re going to need a better reason than that.”</p><p>“Well… Uh.”</p><p>Shulk is fighting a losing battle here. He’s more than happy to let Melia take the bed, but she’s not going down without a fight, and the alternative is...well.</p><p>The alternative is certainly interesting.</p><p>Especially when Shulk has fallen head over heels for her.</p><p>“I told you, I really don’t mind,” Melia insists, glancing away momentarily. Her cheeks are slightly red. “I used to share a bed with Kallian when I was young and had nightmares. It’s not that big of a deal.”</p><p>Shulk’s face heats up. “But that’s… That’s different. This is—”</p><p>“Shulk,” Melia cuts him off. “We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We both need to be as well-rested as possible.” She pauses and takes a deep breath. “And if that means we have to share a bed for one night, then so be it.”</p><p>By now, both of them are easily as red as the weapon on Shulk’s back, but the blond decides not to protest. It’s no use arguing anymore.</p><p>He clears his throat. “You really don’t mind?”</p><p>Melia smiles and nudges him playfully. “As long as you don’t kick in your sleep.”</p><p>Shulk chuckles. “No need to worry then.”</p><p>“Miss Melia, Mister Shulk?”</p><p>They turn to see Kino and Nene poking their heads into the room. They had left sometime after Shulk and Melia started debating over who should take the floor.</p><p>“All done arguing like married couple now?”</p><p>Shulk isn’t sure how to justify that comment with a response. Melia coughs beside him.</p><p>“Yes, well… We’re ready to turn in for the night if you are.”</p><p>And with that said, it’s about time they actually, well, turn in. Kino and Nene are quick to snuggle together with a handful of pillows and one blanket, but Shulk and Melia still haven’t moved from their spots. Thankfully, this bed is bigger, since it’s made for a Machina, but it’s still far from being spacious for the two of them.</p><p>“So, uh…” Shulk trails off. This has never happened before, so he’s not sure how to handle it. But his growing feelings for Melia are only making it worse.</p><p>The High Entia turns to him. “So?”</p><p>“Er, you first,” he stammers, cheeks coloring. He steps aside to allow her room to settle in.</p><p>This time, Melia doesn’t argue, and after a moment of hesitation, she slowly begins to take down the braids in her hair and lets it fall freely around her shoulders. Shulk doesn’t miss her slightly flushed cheeks as she crawls under the blanket without another word, hugging the wall as close as she can. A moment later, she pats the spot beside her, instructing Shulk to follow suit.</p><p>He doesn’t move immediately, instead focused on how gorgeous Melia’s hair looks when it’s undone. He wonders what it would be like to run his fingers through it…</p><p>Shulk shakes his head, ending that dangerous train of thought. It’s embarrassing enough that the two of them have to sleep next to each other for one night. Letting his feelings get out of control would make things much worse. He decides to just focus on getting some rest for now.</p><p>When he shuffles under the blanket, there’s a little more room than he thought there’d be, but it’s still a tight fit. It takes a bit of squirming before he completely relaxes. In the end, their backs are still touching, but Shulk supposes it could be worse. For now, he decides to focus on getting some rest, so he closes his eyes and allows the sound of Melia’s soft breathing to lull him into a deep sleep.</p><hr/><p>When Melia wakes up, morning is still hours away. It’s dark and quiet, and with how still everything is, she can hear Shulk breathing next to her. It’s a calming feeling, much different from the constant anxiety that comes with facing the fogbeasts and wondering if it will ever be possible to restore the empire of the High Entia. Melia wishes they could stay like this for a long while.</p><p>Just as a wistful sigh escapes her lips, Shulk stirs, and suddenly she’s not staring at his back anymore. Now, she’s looking into a pair of wide blue eyes mere inches away, and it seems neither of them was expecting the other to be awake.</p><p>Shulk blinks, red-faced. “Oh, um. Hi.”</p><p>“Hi,” she whispers back, giggling softly. She loves it whenever Shulk gets all flustered like that. It’s cute.</p><p>“Can’t you sleep?” the blond asks. Melia shakes her head in response.</p><p>“I didn’t wake you, did I?”</p><p>“No, it’s alright,” she says. “I’m just a light sleeper.”</p><p>Of course the first thing Shulk does upon realizing she’s awake is worry about her. It’s just like him. Melia can’t help but be a bit flattered.</p><p>“What about you?” she wonders. “Something keeping you up?”</p><p>“Oh, uh.” Shulk averts his gaze momentarily. “Not particularly. Just… You know. Stuff.”</p><p>“Hmm,” the High Entia hums, but doesn’t comment any further. Something’s clearly bothering him, but she decides not to press for now. They can talk about it later.</p><p>But it’s the middle of the night, and they have to retrieve those Telethia research notes from the lab tomorrow. It would be best to get some rest before then.</p><p>Melia sighs. “Well, we should probably go back to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Shulk nods. “Good night.”</p><p>“Good night.”</p><p>And as she rolls over, Melia can hear a small <em> “Sweet dreams,” </em> from the boy next to her. She smiles and closes her eyes.</p><p>“Sweet dreams.”</p><hr/><p>The next time Shulk finds himself awake is when the sun’s golden rays are illuminating the room and warming his face. He blinks the sleep from his eyes and attempts to sit up, only to be pinned down by a small weight on his stomach. When he turns to look, he finds that it’s Melia’s arm, wrapped around him in a snug embrace. </p><p>Shulk’s breath hitches.</p><p>What should he do…? He could wake her up, but… He doesn’t want to disturb her, especially when she has enough trouble falling asleep as it is. He attempts to wriggle free instead, but to no avail. Melia’s hold on him is stronger than he thought. And if he tries any harder, he could wake her up. He sighs.</p><p>“Nothing to do but wait it out, I guess…”</p><p>Admittedly, it’s actually a quite comfortable position, but the longer they stay like this, the more dangerous Shulk’s thoughts become. Thankfully, it’s not that much longer before Melia starts to stir. When her eyes finally open and she registers everything, though, she gasps sharply and quickly withdraws as though she’d been burned. Shulk eyes her questioningly.</p><p>“Something wrong?”</p><p>Melia bites her lip. “How long have I been...like that?”</p><p>He shrugs. “I dunno. To be honest, I haven’t been awake for that long.”</p><p>“But you just left me like that?” the High Entia scoffs, cheeks turning scarlet. “Why didn’t you wake me up?!”</p><p>“Well… You looked like you were in a deep sleep. I didn’t want to disturb you.”</p><p>At this, Melia falters for a second, but a moment later she goes right back to being embarrassed. She hides her face with one hand.</p><p>“I appreciate it, but… You have no idea how embarrassing it is. It was one thing when I was young, but now…” She sighs. “To think I never let go of that childish habit.”</p><p>Shulk hums. On one hand, Melia has every right to be embarrassed, but on the other… He didn’t mind the contact at all. It was pleasant, actually.</p><p>“Um, Melia?”</p><p>The girl in question looks at him. He rakes a hand through his hair.</p><p>“If it makes you feel any better, it… It wasn’t all that bad.”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>Melia’s gaze intensifies. Shulk swallows.</p><p>“Well, what I mean is… Um.”</p><p>He doesn’t think about what he’s doing until he’s already given Melia a quick kiss on the forehead, and when it registers, he pulls back, face quickly flushing a bright red.</p><p>Well, too late to back out now. He clears his throat.</p><p>“I liked it,” he mutters, ducking his head in embarrassment. “It was really nice.”</p><p>Silence settles, and it’s almost comfortable, but when a full minute goes by with no response from Melia, Shulk almost looks up and apologizes. However, he’s stopped when Melia leans forward and takes his face in her hands so she can kiss his forehead in return.</p><p>“I’m...glad to hear it,” she whispers, before leaning her forehead against his. “Thank you, Shulk.”</p><p>“Of course,” Shulk whispers, smiling and wrapping his arms around her. Then he plants one more kiss on her nose before climbing out of bed and stretching.</p><p>“Come on, we should get up before Kino and Nene start getting ideas.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>[Julian Smith voice] I made this for you</p></blockquote></div></div>
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